Our own Hideki Matsui has opted to join A-Rod on the sidelines of the WBC this March. Japanese baseball legend Sadaharu Oh, who is serving as Japan’s coach for the tournament, was very disappointed in Matsui’s decision but has said that understands. According to Oh, Matsui explained to him that “he wanted to be world champion with the Yankees, and that next year was very important to him.” Matsui is hoping for his first championship ring in 2006 and was concerned that playing his little heart out in March could impede his performance in the regular season.

Even with A-Rod and Matsui’s decisions to pass on the WBC, the Yankees will still be represented by Jeter (USA), Robinson Cano (Dominican), Damon (USA), Wang (Taipei), and Bernie (Puerto Rico), and others like Mariano still have not ruled it out.

In 2009 Curtis Granderson published a book: All You Can Be: Dream It, Draw It, Become It! Granderson "shares the lessons that he learned growing up--the importance of family and choosing the right friends, the power of listening and staying positive, and most important, the value of being yourself."